


Surprise

by Terfle



Category: Holby City
Genre: Doctors & Physicians, F/F, Heartbreak, Plans For The Future, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 21:38:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17108573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Terfle/pseuds/Terfle
Summary: Bernie & Serena do get their happy ending





	Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Song lyrics from 'Hold me now' from the Renee Olstead version

**Then**

_How strange it feels to miss you_ _  
Standing right before you_

It didn’t seem like the end when they parted ways. It only hit them the next morning.

 _I've begun pretending_ _  
Not to see an ending_

Serena hadn’t got the right to hope that she’d be forgiven. But the minute she’d locked eyes with Dr Faulkner, events had spiralled and she hadn’t even had that usual gut reaction when something was wrong. She’d felt so hollow the last few months that the warning signs hadn’t flared at her. She hated herself for being that desperate. But now, it was too late. She’d denied it when Bernie said that she’d lost her a long time ago but she could see now that it was true. She’d fucked up and Bernie had gone.

_Pretend it's not gonna be the last time that we love_

Oh she wished. She didn’t deserve a goodbye hug and they never got it.

 _Do you think you could find a way_ _  
To love me again someday?_

She’d cried alone that night after the reception, her great niece sleeping peacefully in her cot. She didn’t know when she’d feel normal again, even look at someone else again, let alone deserve to. But she was sure that they’d be the losers because they’d never have the part of her heart that was always reserved for Bernie. And that wouldn’t be fair.

 

**Now**

It had been one of those days. Serena sat in reception typing busily. She’d immersed herself in admin to hide from people. She’d felt a bit off-kilter today. Not uneasy but not excited. Anticipating something but not in a feverish way. But there was a breath in the air today that was distinctly unusual.

All of a sudden, it all went black. She sensed the something that was the change in the air. Or somebody.

‘Surprise.’

She knew that voice. She’d heard that voice in her head so many times.

‘Bernie?’

She blinked as the hands slowly drew away from her and without turning around, took hold of one of them. She needed to touch her, make sure she was real. She closed her eyes and slid her fingers up and down this hand, so careworn and familiar even after all these years. She caressed the palm and investigated further, yes there it was, that scar on the inside of her thumb. She opened her eyes and turned her head and there she was. Her kind of animal. The right one. Standing there with a pleased smile on her face. Serena could have picked her out in a crowd.

‘What are you doing here?’

There was that tone that Bernie had wanted to hear, all of those years ago. She’d come back of course. Even after extending her post to the limit, once those three years had been up, she wasn’t needed there anymore. She decided to take one more risk, she couldn’t help it. Once she’d spotted Serena at the desk (who else would wear that ugly asymmetrical patterned thing?) she couldn’t resist coming up to her. Serena’s reaction was exactly what she wanted, that smile and the way that Serena flew into her arms told her everything.

_Hold me like we'll love forever_

And finally, they could.


End file.
